In the Eyes of the Beast: Chapter Two

We woke up around mid-day about a quarter until four. I was surprised at how light I slept; all things considered. She slept even better than me. I had to wake her up, rocking her shoulder gently. She yawned and groaned before opening her eyes. They were blue as the sky above us. Not that it mattered---again, not my type. I saw her feel its gaze. Like I said, it would be watching us all day today. It got real pissy when things didn’t go exactly as it wanted. I wouldn’t know until later if it would come back tonight, but I had a gut feeling it wouldn’t. I walked inside, motioning for her to come, and she followed.

We sat down in the living room, I on the rocking chair, her on the sofa. It was silent for many long moments. After all, what the fuck could you really say?

”What is it?” she asked quietly.

”You want a beer?” I asked. “I got some smokes too I think, let me just find the lighter.” I didn’t wait for her response. I got up and grabbed everything, lighting my own cigarette. I took a hit, steadying myself. I passed her the beer and she accepted it wordlessly, and took a cigarette herself. I popped open my beer and took a sip too. This was going to be long.

”I’m not really sure.” I said, setting the beer and cigarette down. I clasped my hands together, fidgeting. It was the first time I had really talked about this. It was hard to know where to begin. “It could be a demon, could be some unknown animal, no fuckin’ clue. All I know is it’s big, it’s smart, and it’s got a temper like well…like you wouldn’t believe. Too late to say that, I guess, huh?"

"How long have you been here?” she asked, draining her beer.

”You want another?” She nodded, and got up with me to go the fridge. I passed her another, and grabbed an extra for myself. She stayed there though, not opening it, staring at her hands. “Alright. Alright. The signs. The line. The fence. How long have you been here?"

"Only a few months,” I said quietly, taking another pull from my cigarette. “Hasn’t been too bad, so far."

"Bullshit.” she said fiercely. “You have a huge hole in your house. You look fucked up. What’s wrong with you? Have you given up?” I didn’t know how to answer her. I had given up. Who wouldn’t, in my position?

”No, like, I mean---I get my ass beat. But I still got beer,” I said, raising my can and smiling. She didn’t return it. “I still got TV, though it’s pretty shit. Still got electricity. Guess he told my mother to make sure all of this is paid for. I got some books I can read through. I got five acres of land, a roof over my head. Things could be worse.”

She put everything down and looked into my eyes, searching, “You have given up. Are you really going to live like this forever? Trapped here?” Again, just had no answer for her. Escape wasn’t possible.

”I’ve already tried to get out,” I said. Still had the fucking scars to prove it. “It’s fast. I got pretty far, almost out of my property. Going past that line, the one I drew in the grass, that’s the boundary. You go pass that, you open up a shit-storm for yourself. It broke my truck the first week, so the only option is to run. Even in a car though, I doubt I could outrun it. It broke my legs when it caught me.” She grimaced at how casually I said it, how resigned I knew I sounded. “Like I said, it might be an animal we’ve never known about, but there’s something fucky with it. I don’t really believe in the whole ghosts and supernatural crap, but I can’t deny hard evidence. It heals me. It’s broken my bones a few times now, but a few days and I’m as good as new. I haven’t gotten sick once, although it’s only been a few months, but I got a feeling I just can’t. There’s some sort of connection between me and it. That’s why we can feel it watching us even now."

"But why?” she asked. “Why is it doing this? Why to you? Why to me.” I walked over to the top kitchen drawer. I pulled out a crumpled note, and handed it to her. I drank some more while she read it, and she placed a hand over her mouth as she continued reading. I knew the whole thing by heart. I knew exactly what part made her do that.

”That’s…that’s fucked.” she said, putting it down.

I nodded. “I guess it is. I don’t know. Me and my father weren’t exactly close, so it’s no huge surprise. It’s just something he would do.” I shrugged.

”I don’t get it. So, it’s some sort of deal? That’s why it’s got you here?” she said.

”Yes. As near as I could tell. My dad was a lucky guy. Bought the right stocks, invested, had a nice portfolio. You would have liked him,” I said, smiling. Again, she didn’t return it. My smile faded as I thought more about him, “He treated me like shit my whole life. Guess he just didn’t want to get too attached to me. I ‘spose I can’t complain too much. Yeah, I was the family black sheep, but I still had a pretty easy life. My mom was perfect, too. I think she always knew that I was the sacrifice.” Kate eyed me with pity. I shook my head, getting a little angry. I didn’t need that. I’d already moved past it all. “It’s not a big deal. I mean, I’m alive, right? Isn’t that all that matters?"

"The signs.” she said simply. I went silent. It was hard to speak.

”Just because I can handle this doesn’t mean I want others too. And…and this isn’t what usually happens, Kate.” I said. She looked like she already knew what I was going to say, face grim. “It doesn’t allow me visitors. Ever. Hell, I didn’t even know the damn thing could speak until last night."

"What does it do when someone comes?” she asked softly.

I shivered. Blood. So much blood. I had no idea why it all looked so fake when they lay there, unmoving. It was so surreal, like it wasn’t happening to me “It kills them. It kills them dead. As soon as they pass the line, it’s over. It comes charging out of the woods, no matter what. Doesn’t matter if they’re in a car, doesn’t matter if they got a gun. It gets them. And it makes me watch. It makes me watch every time. It wants me to know that I am its property. I’m sorry you’re here now, Kate. I’m so sorry."

"But you said things were different now, right? You said it was acting weird yesterday.” I grunted in response. Things were different. Everything was different. Something was up, and just thinking about what it wanted gave me the heebie jeebies.

”Yeah. I don’t know how you got away with speaking to it, let alone refusing it. That’s big. Also, it didn’t seem to want to hurt you at all."

"It sang to me.” she said, shivering.

”Yeah, I thought I heard that. You’re special, somehow. I don’t want to imagine in what way. All I know is that we need to just play it cool for a bit. When things are like this, it keeps an extra watch on me."

"So, what’s the plan?” she said, taking another drink, relaxing a bit. Maybe just knowing more made it easier for her to accept things. She was going to have to eventually.

”Like I said, we just need to relax the rest of the day."

"Will it…will it come again tonight? Do you have to go through that every day?"

"No. It’s only been once a week unless I anger it. Even then, it doesn’t always want to see me. I think it prefers just watching from a distance, but sometimes it seems to…seems to want some company.” She relaxed visibly.

”Ok. So, things should be simple. Can’t we just run when it sleeps? Haven’t you figured out its sleep patterns?”

I shook my head, “Kate, this thing is not normal. I don’t even know if it does sleep. And like I said, it’s bound to me. It can fucking track me, anywhere I go."

"But you said you got far a couple of times, and the signs. How’d you get those up if it was watching you?"

"I don’t know what it does in the woods. I’ve learned my lesson not to walk around out there. It wants me where it wants me. Hell, just taking a bath in the creek can earn me a huge thrashing. When I went to put up the signs, I just had a feeling I had the chance. I couldn’t watch anyone else die anymore, Kate. I just couldn’t. I’ve seen-” I shook my head. She didn’t need or want to hear about the families I had seen torn apart right in front of me. Little heads squished like grapes. Nobody deserved to know that, to hear about that. “Look, that was a one-time thing after I had already tried to escape. It almost killed me that day. I’m surprised it didn’t tear up the signs. Maybe it likes to see me suffer."

"If you can’t leave,” she said slowly, “Where did the McDonald’s bag come from? Where are you getting the beer from? The smokes?” I said nothing. She shivered again.

”Well, know this, Jonah. I’m not being that thing’s fucking toy. Not on your life, not on my life.”

I shook my head angrily, “Kate, maybe one day we can try to get out of here, but you need to accept things the way they are now. You’ll just make things worse, for me and you."

"No!” she said, hands on her hip, “Just because you gave up, doesn’t mean I will. I don’t, I can’t, I won’t let it touch me again,” she said, voice growing small. “I won’t go through that again.” She walked off, sitting on the couch, not looking at me. I let her be. Some things you just had to deal with on your own. This was one of them. I walked to the porch, grabbing the shotgun and watching the horizon. It watched me while I watched the road. I tried to ignore it. I was pretty good at that. I prayed nobody else would show up. I had a feeling Kate was a one-time deal. Maybe it thought if I had some company, I’d be less rebellious. Maybe it was just getting greedy, and wanted more toys. I don’t fucking know, and honestly, it didn’t really matter. We were still here.